Ms. Wheelchair Illinois

[Guest guest]

The Ms. Wheelchair Illinois Organization is currently seeking contestants for

the 2012 Ms. Wheelchair Illinois/America Competition, to be held in Tinley Park

on Saturday, March 17th. If you are a woman, a U.S. citizen between the ages of

21 and 60, utilize a wheelchair for 100% of your community mobility, and have

been a resident of Illinois for at least 6 months, you are eligible to enter.

Ms. Wheelchair Illinois is a public speaking role, as she will promote awareness

and achievements of Illinois residents living with disabilities. Ms. Wheelchair

Illinois, and 30 other state title holders, will go on to compete at the 40th

national Ms. Wheelchair America competition, to be held August 2012 in

Providence, Rhode Island. For applications and further information or to become

an official state sponsor, please contact Pamela LaPorte at

http://www.mswheelchairillinois.org.

Mission of Ms. Wheelchair Illinois/America

The mission of Ms. Wheelchair Illinois/America is to provide an opportunity of

achievement for women who happen to be wheelchair users to successfully educate

and advocate for the more than 52 million Americans living with disabilities.

Unlike traditional beauty pageants, Ms.Wheelchair Illinois/America is not a

contest to select the most attractive individual. It is instead a competition

based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the

most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for persons with disabilities. The

selected representative must be able to communicate both the needs and the

accomplishments of her constituency to the general public, the business

community and the legislature.

Duties of Ms. Wheelchair Illinois/America

As Ms. Wheelchair Illinois/America, the titleholder has numerous duties. These

include promoting awareness of the need to eliminate architectural and

attitudinal barriers and informing the able-bodied public of the achievements of

the millions of people with disabilities across the state of Illinois. During

her year long reign, she will have the opportunity to travel visiting advocacy

groups, making public appearances and conducting radio, print ad, and TV

interviews. The commitment and personal example of the titleholder serves to

further the mission of Ms.Wheelchair Illinois/America.

History of Ms. Wheelchair America

Organized in 1972 by a Columbus, Ohio physician Dr. Philip K. Wood as a forum

for the promotion of the achievements, as well as the needs of, people with

mobility impairments, Ms. Wheelchair America recognizes the accomplishments of

women who utilize wheelchairs for mobility. The program which consists of the

State Coordinators and State Titleholders has grown to include programs in more

than 30 states and the District of Columbia. The state programs are staffed and

coordinated by volunteers dedicated to increasing public awareness so that all

citizens will be afforded the opportunities to lead productive and meaningful

lives.

Settles, Ms. Wheelchair Illinois America 2011

was born on August 16, 1984 in Alton, Illinois with Cerebral Palsy. She is

the oldest of four children, and a graduate of Alton High School. After

graduating from high school, attended and Community College in

Godfrey, Illinois where she earned an Associate in Arts. From there, went

on to study at Southern Illinois University Carbondale before transferring to

Southern Illinois University ville (SIUE). She graduated with a B.S. in

Mass Communications on May 7th , 2011 from SIUE and married Settles on

May 14th , 2011. Since the age of nineteen, was a board member at IMPACT

CIL; she also worked at IMPACT CIL during her time at SIUE as an Independent

Living Specialist in home services. has also interned at the ville

Intellinger. She looks forward to represent Illinois during her year long reign,

so she can be an advocate for disability rights. Disability advocacy has always

been a major part of 's life. Her platform is to focus on the negative

portrayal of people with disabilities in the media. Being in the media field,

she takes advantage of opportunities to educate her peers and the media on how

to more accurately portray people living with disabilities. also competed

against 30 other state titleholders at the national Ms. Wheelchair America

Pageant, held in Grand Rapids, MI.